Rebranding Africa: Transforming Image & Identity for Global Impact

1. Africa: A Product That Needs Rebranding(A Presentation Delivered At The Africa Youth Leadership And Economic Summit, Eko Hotel, Victoria Island Lagos, 04/05/2019) Prepared by : Adedara Oduguwa Ph.D, FIPMA, Assoc. CIPD Curam Gerimus Management Services Limited Our Office: 29 Surulere Street, Sagamu Our Training Centre: 60, Oba Erinwole Awolesi Road, GRA Sagamu Tel: +2347039801664, +2347051860432, Tel: +447487674112 UK Office: 438, Harborne Park Road, Harborne, Birmingham, B170PS Email: info.cgnigeria@yahoo.com, adedaraoduguwa@yahoo.com

2. “Image is how others see us. Identity is how we see ourselves. A continents image and identity (or brand) is determined by both! Africa's current image is negative. This affects Africa's identities, tourism, business, trade, diplomacy, and media coverage about Africa.”_Rebranding Africa, 2019 PROTOCOL

3. Let me first of all; thank the conveners and organizer of this historic summit- Mr. Success Bright Ibeh, for the rare privilege bestowed on me as active participant in this memorable public outing. The criterion for chosen me was quite not known. Nonetheless, I salute you for your bravery, courage and determination for making history in this perilous time when majority of young people across the globe are thinking otherwise. PROTOCOL

4. 1. Understanding Africa’s demography2. What is a product, brand, branding and rebranding ?3. Causes of poor Africa’s image 4. Africa as world’s messiah OUTLINE

5. Today, I have been asked to perform a teacher’s duty, by elaborating the topic ‘rebranding Africa’ in such fashion that Africans will understand the work at hand, which is ‘putting up a positive image of Africa’. To start with the variables, what is a product, a brand, branding and rebranding? Introduction

6. Product is any item offered for sale (The Economic Times, 2019). Similarly, a product is an object or system made available for consumer use; it is anything that can be offered to a market to satisfy the desire or need of a customer (Kotler, Armstrong, Brown, and Adams, 2006). A Product

7. A product can be tangible or intangible : A tangible product is a physical object that can be perceived by touch such as a building, vehicle, gadget, or clothing. An intangible product is one that can only be perceived indirectly such as an insurance policy or services. A Product

8. A brand is an overall experience of a customer that distinguishes an organization or product from its rivals in the eyes of the customer (American Marketing Association Dictionary, 2011). Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising. A Brand

9. In contrast, Branding is a set of marketing and communication methods that help to distinguish a company or products from competitors, aiming to create a lasting impression in the minds of customers. The key components that form a brand's tool include a brand’s identity, brand communication (such as  logos and trademarks), brand awareness, brand loyalty, and various branding (brand management) strategies (Ghodeswar, 2008). Branding

10. Rebranding is an offshoot of branding, necessary because of the failure of a brand. It is a marketing strategy in which a new name, term, symbol, design, or combination thereof is created for an established brand with the intention of developing a new, differentiated identity in the minds of consumers, investors, competitors, and other stakeholders (Moore, Karl; Reid, Susan, 2008). However, in this presentation; brand and product would be used interchangeably. (Re)Branding

12. 1.3billion people • 16.64% of world’s population • 54 countries • 3000 tribes • highest percentage (41 %) of a population under 15 years old • 30 of the 54 African countries have demography of between 57 and 49 percents under 18years old. • 226 million young people in total and by 2045 would be doubled. AFRICA

13. Africa alone has 40percent of the world young population. With this index in mind, Africa is potentially the world’s hub of productive people (human capital), which means the continent’s economy will continue to develop rapidly into the nearest future without delays. In contrast, the opposite is the reality in Europe, Asia, America, Oceania and Australia. The world is getting older and Africa is getting younger. AFRICA

14. Everyone will agree with me that Africa is blessed with great potentials. But then, is potential all that is needed to succeed? I really don’t think so. If Africa had succeeded there would not be need for us to rejig this topic ‘Rebranding Africa’. AFRICA

15. We are today talking about rebranding because the brand is doing fairly badly in the committee of nations and rebranding is necessary in other to: • eliminate negative image, • lost market share/pedigree, • emergent situation • and staying relevant (Zacks, 2013). AFRICA

16. We should know that Americans, Asians, Europeans or anyone for that matter cannot develop Africa than Africans. Africa as a product has not performed woefully when compared to the rest of the world. In fact, there are several areas that Africa has remains exemplary and without Africa, one could reasonably say there is no hope for the Americans, Asians and the rest of the world. Why? AFRICA

17. Africa is world’s warehouse of natural or material resources. • Africa is the world’s human capital hub. • Africa is home of 40% world’s young population (urgent need for investment in the youth). • Africa is the home of morality-marriage, respect etc. • Africa is private consumer of world’s produced goods. • Africa is business friendly; world’s only known source of lowest labour and material costs. AFRICA

18. Beyond the rhetorics, what message is Africa sending to the rest of the world?

19. A continent where: • Leaders are grossly incompetent, governed by inferiority complex and greed ? AFRICA

20. A continent where: • Everyone is illiterate and living in penury ? AFRICA

21. A continent where: • economic and political actors need foreign interference to make decisions? AFRICA

22. A continent where: • Institutional complementaries cannot perform without brown envelopes ? AFRICA

23. A continent where: • The youth depend on miracle to secure job? AFRICA

24. A continent where: Media only report negativities? AFRICA

25. We write how we have suffered in the hands of Agencies of government, the electricity providers, and our politicians, in a bid to make rest of the world to sympathize with us. That is not what we need now, Africa needs to be repackaged. AFRICA

26. REBRAND AFRICA • Press (print and online media), virtual • African citizens : Social Media users • Telling African stories through tourism • Legislation against negative images on the media • Institutional Complementaries; musicians, artists, writers, novelists and clergies.

27. Africa is what Africans think of it, a dungeon?

28. A Paradise

29. A Slum

30. A Palace

31. In the words of my Sudanese mentor, Dr. Mo Ibrahim, Founder, Mo Ibrahim Foundation for Good Governance in Africa, I quote: • “Africa is a continent of young people our demography is completely different from the rest of the world. Within three generations, 41 per cent of the world’s youth will be Africans. By 2030, Africa’s labour force will be larger than China’s by 2035 it will be larger than India’s. This is a wonderful resource for our continent if this resource is skilled and employed. I hope we do better with our abundant human resource, and avoid a potential curse.” Conclusion

32. Rebranding Africa now becomes the art of aligning what we want people to think about Africa with what people actually think of Africa. Conclusion

33. It is what we call ourselves; the rest of the world will call us. • when you step out of this hall, spread the good news of Africa. Tell the world how beautiful Africa is. Let the world know that Africa is not a dungeon but home of the most productive and creative people in the universe. • God bless the black race! • God bless Africa! • God bless the world. Conclusion

34. Many thanks